


trust me, we're not in love

by arisuchu



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwatch Era, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, King's Row (Overwatch), Lesbian Sex, Moral Ambiguity, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, explicit bc there will be sex later, i want desperately for these two to not end up tragic lesbians but thats how itll probably go, if blizzard doesnt give me moira lore i will make moira lore, there will be lots of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-03-12 23:35:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13557960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arisuchu/pseuds/arisuchu
Summary: How Moira and Angela meet and what ensues as time passes. Is it a match made in heaven, or hell?





	1. honey, please don't fall in love

**Author's Note:**

> hello moircy is taking over my life and i just wanted to write this fic abt how i think their lore goes n stuff!!! yay. sorry if first chapters are a little short, im just tryna get things started up and established. theyll be longer when theres more Plot

Angela had never been one to be too particularly interested in relationships. Naturally, she’d had a couple of crushes here and there over the course of her life, but relationships were certainly the last thing on her mind since she began working for Overwatch. She was very smart and well renowned, being the head doctor in her department. She’d spent countless hours inventing a new healing technology, which was what originally attracted the attention of Overwatch. She was perfect for the job and loved dedicating her life to healing and saving people in whatever way she could.   
  
There’d never really been anyone at Overwatch in her field of expertise that could really match up to her talent and intelligence. That is, until another woman who shared her interest in healing technology began to work for Overwatch also.   
  
This woman, Moira O’Deorain, was 11 years older than Angela. Arguably, she even had more experience in their particular field.   
  
At first, when Angela heard of this new employee coming to Overwatch, she was absolutely thrilled. Finally there would be someone for her to relate to on a higher level than anyone else in her team.   
  
Finally the day that Miss O’Deorain was scheduled to start her job with Overwatch came. Angela was rather ecstatic to meet her new coworker, looking forward to having someone to discuss her interests with.   
  
She entered the room her new colleague was to have her desk in, stopping in the doorway before she could get any further. The other woman had not noticed her yet, but Angela was immediately captivated by what she saw.   
  
There she was, tall and slim, sharp jawline, long, slender hands, and perfectly slicked back red hair. Even her shirt and tie were perfectly crisp. Everything about the woman in front of her seemed so put together.   
  
Before Angela could open her mouth to say anything, the tall woman noticed her presence and abruptly stopped unpacking her things to focus her attention on her.   
  
“...You must be Dr. Ziegler, I presume.”   
  
Oh, god, Angela thought, even her voice sounds smooth and concise and perfect. She quickly shook this off to properly engage in conversation.   
  
“And you must be Dr. O’Deorain, yes?” Angela smiled. “I look forward to working with you. I’ve heard lots of impressive things.”   
  
Moira smiled slyly in return. “As do I, Dr. Ziegler. Your work fascinates me.”   
  
Angela felt a short pang in her heart upon seeing that smile and hearing that praise, a pang she was unfamiliar with.   
  
“Just call me Angela. I don’t like being uppity with titles and such,”   
  
Moira approached Angela at that moment to give her a firm handshake, still maintaining her coy smile.   
  
“Call me Moira, then.” She released Angela’s hand gently and met her gaze. “Angela.”   
  
————————   
  
Six months had passed. By now, Angela spent most of her work days with Moira. Together they came up with even more   
brilliant things than they ever could on their own, as well as learned from each other constantly.   
  
The more time they spent together, the more romantic tension lingered in the air between them. Angela often found herself staring nonstop at Moira at odd times. Usually Moira didn’t notice this, or at least Angela didn’t think she noticed. She also found herself almost constantly thinking about the older woman in general. It was getting to be a bit of a pain.   
  
One late evening, it all peaked.


	2. like lovers do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gay shit!

It was 10pm, and Moira was still hard at work in the lab. She tended to be like this, and it worried Angela.  
  
“Moira,” She slowly approached behind the other woman who was mixing some chemicals. “It’s getting late, isn’t it?”   
  
“I’m working,” Moira replied bluntly, hyper fixated on her current task.   
  
“I know,” Angela replied gently. “But...I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to overwork yourself.”   
  
This caught Moira’s attention enough for her to look over her shoulder at the blonde woman. “I’ve never particularly heard you appear to be that concerned about my well being.” 

“I am a doctor, after all,” Angela huffed, crossing her arms. “And you should listen to a doctor’s advice.”  
  
Moira stayed quiet for a moment, fixing her attention still on her work. “I’ll tell you what, Angela,” She began. “Give me another hour tops to finish this and we’ll go get drinks. My treat.”   
  
Angela blinked. This sounded suspiciously like a...date? Though she couldn’t be too sure. Moira was always very mysterious and hard to read.   
  
“...That sounds good to me.” She paused, about to leave the room. “...How about that new bar in town? I’ll meet you there...in an hour?”   
  
“Deal.” Moira replied, proceeding to look over her shoulder once again to smirk at Angela. “Going home to pretty yourself up?” She half-lidded her eyes, still smirking. “I guess you’ve caught on to the fact that I am asking you on a date, after all. Haven’t you, angel?”   
  
Angela felt a blush rising in her cheeks. This wasn’t the first time Moira used this pet name for her. She seemed to flirt with Angela quite often, but Angela was unsure how to respond to it.   
  
“I-I...might have.” Angela huffed, straightening out her lab coat. “W-whatever the case, I’ll meet you there, okay? I’ll be waiting.”   
  
“Oh, don’t worry, angel.” Moira almost purred. “I’ll be there.”

Angela patiently waited outside of the bar, almost nervous that Moira wouldn’t show up at all. She didn’t want to be as excited as she was. After all, there was a bit of pompous air around that woman, and it was almost frustrating that she was attracted to it. Moira always behaved in a way that made Angela suspicious of whether she really had much compassion as a human being. She’d implied that she wouldn’t have anything against testing her scientific methodology on animals, other humans, and even herself.   
  
But, on the other hand...Moira seemed to treat Angela like she truly cared for her and her well being, even walking her home sometimes. She’d say things like, “We can’t have a pretty girl like you walking home alone at night, can we?”  
  
Of course, this made Angela’s heart thump every time without fail. It was…slightly infuriating. But, after all…what did she have to lose? Even Angela Ziegler should let herself live a little, right?

She was stuck in her own little world of her thoughts for what seemed like forever until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, startled. Of course, it was Moira.

As always, she looked so wonderfully well put together. She wore a pair of black dress pants paired with a white long sleeved blouse and a red tie to top it off.

“You look a little lost, angel,” She smirked, tilting her head. “I told you I’d be here, did I not?”

Angela immediately felt herself flushing pink. She crossed her arms and huffed, pouting.

“I-I knew you’d show up...I just...I don’t know,” She trailed off, struggling to even attempt to make eye contact with the taller woman.

Moira laughed lightly, offering Angela her hand. “Shall we, Angela?”

 

\---

 

Within the hour, Angela was nearly drunk. She never had the best tolerance for alcohol, which she was perfectly aware of. When she did drink, she drank more than she should anyway. With all the work she did everyday, she definitely deserved that break. Moira had drank just about as much as Angela, but it seemingly wasn’t affecting her at all. If it was, Angela certainly couldn’t tell.

As they sat together at a table, they mostly talked about work. But the drunker Angela got, the flirtier they got. Her inhibitions didn’t matter to her at this point in the night.

 “Mm, Moira,” Angela began, taking a long sip of her drink. “Why did you invite me out tonight, anyway?” She surely already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it in Moira’s words.

 “Don’t play dumb, Angela. You know why.” Moira gave her a half-lidded smile. The seduction in her gaze almost gave Angela chills. “The ditzy blonde act doesn’t suit you.”

 “...A date, then.” Angela replied, smiling sweetly. “...I was...just kind of hoping to hear you say it.”

 Moira reached across the table to gently tuck a few rogue strands of Angela’s hair behind her ear. This act of intimacy was enough to make her cheeks flush even more, though it probably wasn’t noticeable on account of how drunk she was by now.

 “I do catch you staring quite frequently. You always look away like a lovestruck schoolgirl...that’s certainly a side of you others don’t see, is it?” Moira withdrew her hand and placed it on top of Angela’s instead. Her touch was a bit cold. Not icy, but still cold. Something about it was comforting to the blonde.

 “I’m nothing like a lovestruck schoolgirl,” Angela huffed. “I’m a perfectly capable and mature adult.” She said this, despite being well aware that Moira was somehow capable of making every part of her unravel in an instant.

“Aren’t you?” Moira rose a brow and laughed a little. “No matter. It’s not a bad thing.”

 This was all a simple night, really, but Angela almost felt like she was having the time of her life. No one else had ever made her feel the way Moira made her feel. Technically, due to working together, it wasn’t something they should pursue. Caring about rules is difficult when the attraction is so strong.

 Their idle chit chat continued for the next hour or so, the flirting heavy. As the romantic tension in the air rose, Angela became more and more aware that this night would have to end sometime. She shut out the thought, enjoying this simple romance.

 The next thing either of them knew, they were at Angela’s apartment. Angela was pinned against the wall right next to her front door, her shoes hastily kicked off, and both of their hot and heavy breaths hanging in the air.

 Part of Angela’s judgement told her this was not the best idea, but right now, she couldn’t care one bit.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive basically been writing this entire thing along to my moircy playlist on spotify.....


	3. the same damn hunger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise moira's nails arent long like they are in current canon

“Moira,” Angela breathed out, whimpering as the other woman began to place rough kisses on her neck. “Should we r-really…?”

 “Well,” Moira began, only pausing from her kisses to reply. “Do you want to?” She withdrew for a moment to look into Angela’s eyes, both of their gazes heavy with lust.

 Angela gave a small nod, looking at Moira pleadingly. “I want to,”

 Moira took this opportunity to push down the straps of Angela’s cocktail dress, kissing the skin as she exposed it. This coaxed a short whimper out of the younger woman, closing her eyes for a moment. It wasn’t long before they ended up on Angela’s unmade bed, both half clothed.

 Angela allowed Moira to aggressively pull off her panties, leaving her much more vulnerable than she’d been used to. Her hands found their way down to Moira’s hips, her fingers slipping under the waistband of the redhead’s boyshort style underwear. Immediately, Moira’s hands were on top of Angela’s to stop her, giving her a smirk.

 “Not yet, angel.” She proceeded to run her hands back upward to carefully remove Angela’s bra. “Let me do the work for you.”

 This ran chills all the way through the blonde’s body, and she immediately yanked Moira who was on top of her into a deep kiss, despite what she had just said. She continued this as she felt the older woman’s hand against her wetness, causing her to moan into the kiss. After a few moments, Moira withdrew from the kiss to speak.

 “Oh, my, Angela, you’re quite wet for me already, aren’t you?” Moira hummed, pushing in two of her fingers. “You’re that excited?”

 Angela nodded, fully aware of the fact that she was absolutely wrapped around Moira’s finger. She bit her lip, looking up at her pleadingly.

 “Moira,” She whined. “Please fuck me,”

 “You didn’t even have to ask, angel.” Moira grinned, complying by adding a third finger, as well as increasing the pace of the movement of her wrist. Angela let out a sharp moan, digging her nails into the sheets of her bed. She was already so sensitive due to the anticipation during the whole evening beforehand.

 Moira leaned in to kiss her hard again, not pausing or slowing her pace, much to Angela’s satisfaction. She’d dreamt of doing this with Moira multiple times before, but, of course, she’d never admit to it. Not unless Moira could coax it out of her.

 Angela’s sensitivity didn’t allow her much time before the height of her arousal reached its peak, causing her to stiffen up and cry out as she hit her breaking point. However, Moira wasn’t about to stop there.

 “I’m not done with you, yet, angel.” She didn’t even stop her fingering for one moment, also maintaining the same pace as before. Angela was now more sensitive than ever, hardly able to stifle any of her moans of the other woman’s name. It wasn’t long before she came undone beneath Moira’s fingers again, crying out once more.

 The older woman removed her fingers as she watched Angela catch her breath, licking them off as seductively as possible. Angela bit her lip and breathed heavily, looking at Moira through her eyelashes.

 “D-don’t you...want me to return the favor?” Angela’s voice was very breathy, but her question was sincere.

 Moira shook her head, closing her eyes momentarily. “Mm, no need. Seeing you come undone for me was enough.”

 Of course, she had to say something that made the blonde melt all over again. Not surprising.

 “If you say so,” Angela yawned, laying back on her pillow. She wasn’t sure if Moira would stay or not, and part of her was hoping that she would, though at the same time she expected that she would probably leave.

 For the moment, Moira was simply sitting on the edge of Angela’s bed, looking away from her. She seemed to be looking out the window. The pale moonlight flowed in, gently illuminating the redhead’s still slicked back hair, though now a bit tousled.

 Angela fell asleep staring at her like this.

 The next morning, she woke up alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again i apologize for how short it is!! the next chapters are starting to be longer as i get the story established!


	4. what have you been thinking?

Angela forced herself out of bed upon hearing her alarm. It took her a moment to register what had happened last night, and that Moira had left sometime during the night, probably. Honestly, she was disappointed about this, but she quickly shoved it to the back burner of her mind. She had to go to work, her messed up love life wasn’t important right now. She elected to take a quick shower and get ready for work, and headed there as soon as she was ready. Last night exhausted her, but she certainly wasn’t going to skip work just because she had a slightly irresponsible night.

Though, she wasn’t looking too forward to seeing her partner from the night before.

When she arrived, she was greeted by a very enthusiastic Lena Oxton, an agent also working for Overwatch.

“G’morning, Angie!” Lena beamed, always happy to see the doctor. This smile was quickly followed by a look of slight concern. “Wait, you look exhausted! Did something happen?”

Oh, god, people were noticing how tired she looked already. Not good.

Angela laughed nervously, shaking her head. “N-no, nothing at all, I just didn’t sleep very well last night. I’m perfectly fine.”

Lena blinked at her, obviously a little suspicious of this. “...Well, if you say so! Just take it easy, okay, Angie? You should give yourself a break every once in a while.”

Angela nodded. “I will, Lena. Don’t worry about me too much!” She did her best to pull off a casual smile, despite dreading what she would deal with next.

She hesitantly walked into her lab, as per usual, and was greeted by more coworkers, also as per usual. No Moira yet.

The day continued to be pretty typical, Angela absorbed in her own work, helping coworkers, writing up reports…

By the late afternoon, she’d completely forgotten about how much she was dreading seeing Moira. It seemed possible that she wouldn’t run into her at all. She could tell herself this as much as she wanted, but she was bound to run into Moira at some point.

As expected, Moira sidled up to her side, placing her hand on Angela’s shoulder. Startled, Angela let out a short gasp and looked over to the source of the touch.

“Good afternoon, Angela.” Moira smiled coyly. “How did you sleep?”

Angela huffed and quickly withdrew from Moira’s touch, furrowing her brow. “...Fine, thank you. And you?”

“I hardly ever sleep, angel. Maybe an hour or two. I’m just perfect.”

Her attitude made Angela twitch a brow, clearly frustrated. “Well, good for you, then. Though sleeping so little isn’t healthy for you.”

Moira laughed, tilting her head. “The good doctor always knows best, doesn’t she?”

“...I just don’t want you to get yourself sick.”

“Hmmm. You do care even when you try to act like you don’t, don’t you?”

Angela didn’t respond to this, immediately trying to change the subject. “Any reports for me today, Miss O’Deorain? I do expect you to check in with your superior every once in a while.”

Thankfully, Moira seemed to take the hint and went along with the change of topic. “No reports yet, but I have started on a new rather interesting experiment as of this morning, Dr. Ziegler.”

Immediately, Angela’s curiosity was piqued. Moira tended to have some ideas that she herself wouldn’t have thought of, so she was interested. “And what might that be?”

“Why don’t I simply show you?”

Angela mulled this over for a moment before agreeing. “It better be fascinating if you make me walk all the way to your lab when I have things to be doing myself.”

Moira escorted Angela to her lab, politely opening the door for her. This was probably supposed to be gentlemanly. She was greeted by the sight of a small white rabbit hopping around happily in a decently sized cage, with enough room for it to get some exercise.

“A rabbit…?” Angela stared for a moment, slightly perplexed. “...Oh, Moira, please don’t tell me you’re doing shady things to it.”

“Not this time.” Moira smiled. “I found her hurt this morning and decided I would take her to my lab to test some healing technology on her. That’s all.”

Angela approached the rabbit to examine it just by looking at it. It seemed in perfect shape. “...Well, whatever you did must have worked. It seems fine.”

Moira hummed. “I named her Angela, actually.”

“...Did you?” Should she be flattered by this?

“Because she put up a fight even when I was trying to help her.”

“...Ah. I’m so smitten, Moira.” Angela replied in a deadpan tone, looking annoyed.

“I knew you would be.” Moira said sarcastically, carefully removing the rabbit from the cage. “Aren’t you going to ask how I did it?”

“You’re going to tell me even if I don’t ask, aren’t you?”

The older woman smiled and stroked the rabbit’s back. “You know me so well, angel.” She ran her fingers gently along the rabbit’s long ears. “However, it’s a secret for right now. You’ll see.”

Angela rose a brow, wanting to question this due to her position as head of medical research. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to let it slide to see how it would play out. Moira was very intelligent after all.

“Well,” Angela sighed. “As long as you write me a report on it at some point, I suppose that’s fine. I trust you.”

She watched for a moment as Moira put the rabbit back in the cage and proceeded to go back to some other experiment she had going on.

“On that note, I’m going back to my own lab. Don’t do anything too rash, Moira.”

Moira smirked cunningly at Angela over her shoulder. “No promises on that one.”

On the way back to her own lab, Angela once again ran into Lena, who was just as excited to see her as she was this morning.

“Hi Angie! You’re looking a little better now! Did coffee do the trick?” Lena grinned.

“About three cups, yes. I’m still tired but at least I don’t look like it, right?” She smiled. Having someone brighter to talk to after any exchange with Moira was a breath of fresh air.

Angela and Lena continued to chat for a bit, until the younger girl asked the one question the doctor was hoping not to hear.

“Y’know, Angie, I’ve seen you around lots with that crazy scientist lady that’s still kinda new here. Moira, was it? O’Deorain?”

Angela froze, tensing up. “...Yes, what about her?”

Lena shrugged, looking a little perplexed. “I dunno, she just seems kinda....shady to me. You know what I mean? Like she doesn’t really fit in here that well.”

Moira may have frustrated Angela to hell and back countless times, but she was quick to defend her. “She’s very intelligent and knows what she’s doing. She fits in here just fine. I think she just has a lot of untapped potential that most of us haven’t seen yet.”

Lena simply blinked at her in response at first, just a tad bit suspicious. Angela didn’t seem the type to defend someone who appeared to have a lack of morals. “I mean, I guess you could be right. She just seems super weird to me. Like there’s something off about her.”

“Don’t be silly, Lena, she’s just fine. Just wait till she’s here longer.”


	5. but tonight i'm so lonely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm. love these gays

The day had progressed like any other, and next thing she knew Angela was arriving at work the next morning. She was greeted by an immediate order to go see Commander Morrison. This was certainly unusual, but she naturally obliged.

“You requested to see me, Commander?” Angela stood straight up as soon as she entered Commander Morrison’s office.

“I want you to go on a mission with O’Deorain. Nothing major. Just a trip to another one of Overwatch’s bases to share some of your findings.” He said this very firmly. It was definitely not just a suggestion. Normally this would be perfectly fine with her, but…

“...With _her?_ ” Angela’s distaste was obvious by the tone of her voice. She was unable to stifle this sort of reaction considering the topic at hand.

“Yes. She’s made significant advancements as well, hasn’t she? Both of your expertise could be used elsewhere.”

Angela’s brow twitched. “Now, Commander, I don’t mean to try and argue with you, but I’m really not so sure about this.”

“You’ll just be having a couple of conferences with Overwatch members from different bases. Is that clear?” He seemed to be getting a little impatient.

“Couldn’t we just bring other Overwatch members here instead? I really—“

“This isn’t up for debate, Ziegler. I’ve already started to make the arrangements. You’ll hear from me again once I have more details worked out. Dismissed.”

Angela could do nothing but turn around and walk out of his office and sulk in defeat. She wasn’t about to argue with Commander Morrison about something like this. She’d had enough of that when she’d tried to stop him from going through with the proposed idea of a biotic rifle. That fight had been a lost cause from the beginning, and this one probably was too.

She slowly slunk back to her lab, hoping no one would talk to her on the way there. It was only a matter of time until Moira was also notified of this decision. She wondered how the older woman would react. Would she be upset? Amused? Thrilled?

...Why was Angela even thinking about how Moira would feel? It doesn’t even matter. She doesn’t matter. For the time being, Angela decided it would be best to busy herself in her lab.

This plan worked for a while until she found herself having to go through the hall to go get herself her midday coffee, and, unsurprisingly, ran into a certain Irish woman also making herself coffee.

Hearing someone enter the room, Moira looked over her shoulder. A sly smile graced her features upon realizing it was Angela.

“If it isn’t our favorite guardian angel,” She purred, pouring her coffee.

“If it isn’t our favorite creepy scientist,” Angela replied, huffing.

“Wake up on the wrong side of the bed today, Angela?” Moira raised a brow.

“Actually, no. Just found out this morning I have to go on a trip with you.”

Moira laughed a little. “Hm, and here I thought you’d be excited after our little rendezvous the other night. I’m quite looking forward to it.”

Angela furrowed her brow and let out a ‘hmph’, balling her fists at her sides. “You’re going to be lucky if I don’t kill you during this trip, O’Deorain,” She hissed.

“My, my, feisty, are we?” Moira smirked.

Angela huffed. “Well, don’t expect a repeat of the other night!”

“We’ll see about that, angel.”

Soon enough, they found out they were to go on the ‘trip’ in less than a week. Unfortunately, Angela couldn’t stop thinking about it. Being that close to Moira for a whole three days..being on a plane next to her...sharing a room with her...it gave her butterflies in her stomach. And she hated it. She absolutely hated the way Moira made her feel. Her smug and pompous attitude was not something she should be attracted to at all, but here she was. Feeling it constantly. It was infuriating.

Finally, the day to leave for another Overwatch base arrived. Angela was beyond anxious. A trip in itself was fine, but it being with Moira drove her crazy. The inkling of excitement in her body about this whole ordeal made her even more upset. Though there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

The flight went smoothly. They didn’t particularly converse the whole way so it was quiet and calm. This soothed a bit of Angela’s anxiety, but not enough to make her feel better about the trip in general. They arrived where they would be staying in the early evening, so they didn’t have an agenda for the rest of the night. This in itself made Angela anxious.

They were staying in a nice hotel, as their reputations and positions earned them that instead of staying at the base itself. It was a basic hotel room, with two queen beds, a bathroom, and simple amenities such as a microwave and coffee maker. Naturally they also had the option of room service. It was all covered by Overwatch, so they didn’t have to pay for any of it themselves.

Of course, Moira was not going to pass up the chance of room service. Neither was Angela. As they settled down for the night, Moira ordered the two of them a bottle of merlot. Angela hesitantly accepted a glass, gingerly sitting down on the couch. Moira sat down next to her, cracking open a medical journal for leisurely reading. Angela glanced at what she was reading out of the corner of her eye. This situation was a little awkward. She wasn’t sure if she should say something to break the silence or what. Before she could even make a decision, Moira broke the silence for her.

“You know, Angela, you’ve acted very strange since...the night at your apartment. Have I done something to trigger that?” Moira asked this while keeping her eyes trained on her reading material.

Angela blinked in surprise. “N-no, that’s...not really it. It just...made me nervous. I guess. It’s...awkward.” This was a bit of a lie, considering Moira’s absence that next morning did bother her, but she wouldn’t admit that.

“...Alright. I see.” Moira turned the page of her medical journal. “...I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry if I happened to do that.”

Moira apologizing? This was certainly surprising, but Angela wasn’t going to reject an apology.

“...It’s okay. I figured you didn’t.” She nervously took a sip of her wine, avoiding looking at Moira. “...I’m sorry for acting weird.”

Moira laughed lightly. “Don’t apologize. I suppose it’s only natural. I put you in a strange situation.”

Angela sat quietly for a few moments before replying, mulling over whether she should say what she wanted to or not. “Well, to be honest...I did like it. It was...fun.” She felt herself flushing as soon as she opened her mouth to say this, wondering why she would admit it so easily in the first place.

“I did too.” Moira replied without looking away from what she was reading. “Maybe it’d be more fun with you sober.”

Angela placed her wine glass down on the coffee table in front of them, feeling butterflies in her stomach, much like the other night before they went back to her apartment. She looked up at Moira, slowly reaching over to tuck away a loose strand of her red hair. Her beautiful, fiery red hair…

Moira finally looked away from her reading to make eye contact with Angela, her lips curling into a smile. “...You’re an odd one, angel.”

Her gaze sent shivers down the blonde’s spine, enough to make her avert her eyes from the older woman. She couldn’t resist. Before she knew it, the medical journal was tossed aside onto the floor, and she was straddling Moira’s lip, her cheeks hot and blushing.

“And here you said we wouldn’t be having a repeat of the other night,” Moira smirked, seemingly unfazed by Angela’s sudden actions.

“...Shut up. Trust me, I wasn’t...planning on this.” She immediately pressed her lips against the other woman’s, kissing her passionately. Being alone with Moira just made her unable to resist her charm for some reason, even if she wasn’t trying to charm Angela on purpose.

Moira didn’t take long to get into the kiss as well, threading her fingers through Angela’s thick hair to pull down her ponytail.

“Angela,” She breathed in between kisses. “You know I could ruin you, right? A beautiful angel like you shouldn’t be involved with someone so many people judge like me,”

Angela pulled Moira’s tie to yank her in for another long kiss. “I don’t care,” She nipped at the other woman’s bottom lip. “I’m no angel.”


	6. no matter what

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ des i wrote this like 5 fucking days ago or some shit before the rp bullshit even happened i swear to god it just ended up having a really similar plot and yknow what? tea

 

Both women were awoken with a start in the morning to their alarms. They were tangled in the sheets of one of the queen beds in the hotel room, the other virtually untouched. Angela slowly sat up, her memory recollecting the events of last night. They’d most certainly fucked again. But, this time, she got the luxury of actually waking up next to her potential lover, which was enough to put her in a good mood to start out the day. Though they both got out of bed and ready for their day without exchanging too many words. It was early, and they’d been up late. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to hook up the night before having a conference with a portion of Overwatch’s medical team they hadn’t met that undoubtedly looked up to them. What’s done is done, Angela supposed.

She caught her heart fluttering throughout the day as she spent her time with Moira, whether they were giving a conference or just having lunch. There was something nice about being alone with her. Maybe it would be best to just embrace these feelings she was developing? It couldn’t be a bad thing to have someone who makes her happy. Could it?

They grew progressively closer throughout the trip, easily engaging in playful banter by the end. Angela didn’t quite understand why this made her so happy, or if that was even okay...but it didn’t matter to her right then. She was happy, and that was the important thing.

They packed their things in silence the night before their flight back, slight tension in the air.

“Hey, Angela,” Moira spoke up, breaking the silence.

“Hmm?” Angela looked up from folding clothes to put in her suitcase, quizzically tilting her head.

“How does...dinner sound tomorrow night?”

Angela blinked in surprise before breaking into a small smile. “...Are you trying to be romantic, Moira?”

Moira twitched a brow. “...Just because I don’t seem like someone who enjoys domestic intimacy as opposed to carnal desires doesn’t mean I can’t try to...make up for going so fast.”

The blonde felt her heart jump upon hearing this, biting her lip to stifle a giggle. “...That’s actually really sweet of you,” She trailed off, placing a folded blouse into her suitcase. “Depends on where we’re having dinner, though.”

Moira smirked, seemingly satisfied with this reply. “My place? I do think I need to make up for my...dine and dash incident.”

Angela smiled a bit, laughing lightly. “I didn’t know you knew how to cook.”

“I’d like to think I can. But you can be honest if it ends up being absolutely atrocious.”

“It’s a date, then,” Angela smiled sweetly, a smile that soon enough would only be for Moira.

 

\---

 

They had made plans for Angela to be at Moira’s apartment around 7:00, and Angela was planning on being exactly on time if she could be. She dressed in a short black cocktail dress and made sure to wear a little more makeup than usual. If this was a  _ real _ date, then she may as well try to look presentable. She desperately wanted to impress Moira, especially now that she was sure the feelings of more than just lust were mutual. She felt like a teenager falling in love for the first time, her thoughts constantly swimming with Moira. She was becoming accustomed to these feelings at least, instead of trying to shove them away. If Moira felt the same, there couldn’t be any harm in it.

When she arrived at her date’s apartment, she gingerly buzzed the doorbell and waited patiently for an answer. Within a few seconds, Moira opened the door to greet her. She was wearing a button-up shirt and a lilac tie. It was quite business casual, yet something about it looked more formal than that. Her red slicked back hair was as perfect as ever, and Angela was already entranced by the gaze of her dual-colored eyes.

Moira’s smooth voice broke the silence before Angela had a chance to say anything.

“You look beautiful, Angela,” She said, a little quietly. Angela blushed fervently, doing her best to keep eye contact with the taller woman.

“T-thank you,” She stuttered, slowly entering through the door as Moira allowed her to. Her apartment was rather modest without many decorations or things like photos, unlike Angela’s, which had trinkets and framed photos everywhere. It seemed a little lonely, and made her realize that she really didn’t know much about Moira’s personal life. Nothing about her family, her previous friends, other interests...who was Moira O’Deorain, really? She’d been working with her for over six months, she’d been in bed with her, and now she was in her apartment, about to have dinner with her, but really, what did she know about her?

These thoughts continued to run through Angela’s mind as the two sat down to eat. It wasn’t until about halfway through the meal that she finally decided to speak up about it.

“Moira,” She began, causing the other woman to look up at her from her plate. “Are you...really serious about this?”

“...Of course I am. You haven’t heard me invite any other women to my apartment, have you?”

Angela hesitantly made eye contact with her. “Will you do me a favor, then?”

Moira raised a brow. “And what might that be?”

Angela took a deep breath. “I just want you to tell me more about...you. And I’ll tell you more about me in return. I just feel like...I’m a little...in the dark about you, all things considered…”

The other woman looked a bit surprised by this request, taking a few moments to actually figure out how to reply.

“...We can arrange that.” She paused. “Though I’m not always the best at talking about myself, Angela. I suppose I can try.”

Angela took a sip of her drink before staring directly at Moira. “How about I start, then?” She cleared her throat. “I lost my parents when I was a child. Your turn.”

Moira blinked, obviously a bit taken aback by this sudden information. “...Well...I did, too, actually. I think I was around...13. It was...rough.”

“Oh. Good.” Angela paused, realizing that was not the best choice of words. “G-good that you understand where I’m coming from, not that your parents are dead. That’s bad. But it’s...nice to have someone who relates rather than tells me how sad my life must have been because of that.” She sipped her drink. “Hearing people say that is just exhausting. Do you...get that a lot?”

“Not particularly, but only because you’re the first person I’ve told in years. I don’t even remember the last time I bothered telling anyone such a little detail,” Moira trailed off, looking in another direction.

This suddenly made Angela feel quite special. She supposed Moira didn’t get close to people too often, perhaps? Before she could respond, her date spoke up again.

“You see, I don’t usually...make an effort to grow an emotional bond with others. I don’t see the point. My primary purpose here is to further my research toward scientific advancement, so why bother forming meaningless relationships along the way? I don’t like people much, really.” She paused, looking at Angela again. “...But you, Angela...I can’t keep myself away from you. It’s like you’re magnetic. You’re...much too lovely and perfect for someone as bitter as I am, but the more I stay away from you, the more I desire to be closer to you,” She bit her lip, looking troubled. “...I’ve never felt  _ lonely  _ before. Until I met you. And spent time with you, and had to part with you...it’s a strange feeling. I wish I could find better words to explain it.”

Angela simply stared, dumbfounded, as Moira went on. She was sure her face was bright red by now, but it didn’t matter. She’d already shown the other woman the most vulnerable sides of herself. This wasn’t the first time and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Was this...love? Was she falling in love with Moira? She’d never fallen in love with anyone else before, so she couldn’t possibly give even herself an answer to that question. Was the feeling toward her Moira described love? Again, a question she couldn’t answer on her own. Nor was she about to ask the other woman if she was in love with her. Her nerves got the best of her. After all, she wasn’t as bold as she’d like to believe herself to be.

“...I thought you said you were bad at talking about yourself,” Angela finally replied.

“...I guess it’s not so hard to if I let myself speak without thinking.”


	7. it's okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really short and i am so sorry but im just trying to get back into the swing of writing this!!

Angela still couldn’t quite process everything Moira was telling her. It was absolutely unbelievable. It was just...surprising that someone like Moira would really be that interested in her. Despite being fully aware that she was one of the world’s most talented doctors, her self esteem wasn’t always the best when it came to things such as romance.

“Moira, I…” Angela bit her lip. “...I think I’m in love with you. Is that...okay?”

“...I think I’m in love with you, too, Angela. Of course it’s okay.”

This was undoubtedly the best thing Angela could have heard in _years._ There was nothing she wanted more than for Moira to fall for her as hard as she’d fallen for her.

Before Moira had a chance to say anything else, Angela reached across the table and yanked her tie to pull her in for a heated kiss, nearly knocking over her glass of wine in the process. Moira seemed slightly caught off guard, but reciprocated quickly.

She broke the kiss for a moment to speak up. “M-Moira, I’m...sorry…I just...can’t resist…”

Moira gently caressed Angela’s jawline with her fingertips. “Don’t apologize, angel. I want it. I want you.”

“...Lovingly, this time? Not just because we’re so desperate for each other. I want to...show you how I feel.”

“No, no. Let me, angel.”

Another night of giving in to her lust couldn’t hurt, right? Especially if Moira was in love with her too, right...?

 —

The next morning, Angela woke up slightly disoriented, not quite realizing where she was at first. She nearly panicked for a moment, thinking she’d be late for work, but then remembered it was a Saturday morning. No need to worry about work.

She yawned and rolled over in bed, looking lovingly over at Moira, who was still asleep. She looked so peaceful, locks of her red hair spilling into her face. She looked more more relaxed and less jaded like this, as if she had nothing in the world to worry about. Looking at her like this, you couldn’t possibly assume she was such a workaholic.

She’d never really noticed how long Moira’s eyelashes were, obviously brushing her cheeks as her eyes were closed. Though her most noticeable features, even now, had to be her sharp jawline and prominent cheekbones. Angela couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was about Moira’s jawline that drew her in so much, especially, but sometimes she couldn’t help but just stare at it. She hesitantly reached out to draw her fingertips lightly across that gorgeous jawline, simply unable to resist the urge. Despite this being such a gentle, feather-like touch, the older woman opened one of her eyes to peer at Angela, who quickly withdrew her hand in surprise.

“You didn’t have to stop, angel.” Moira yawned, not moving besides that.

Angela blinked. “...Good morning to you, too, Moira.”

“...Do that more. Don’t stop.” The sleepiness in Moira’s voice was easy to hear.

Angela couldn’t help but feel herself melt a little, her lips curving into a smile. “...Demanding, aren’t we?” She giggled, resuming running her fingertips along the other woman’s jawline like before. With that, Moira closed her eyes again, and Angela felt herself melting even more. This was easily something she could get used to. Just the thought of having more mornings like this one was enough to make her heart skip a beat. Nothing could compare to this.


	8. don't expect me not to fall

Within the next couple of weeks, chatter had spread throughout the base that Angela and Moira were  _ definitely _ dating, although no one seemed to have actually asked them definitively if they were or not. Was there a rule against fraternization? Probably. Did either of them care? Not particularly. Things were going smoothly for the both of them. Work was fine, their relationship seemed to be progressing well, and no one was questioning them about anything at all.

Of course, all good things must come to an end.

“Dr. Ziegler,” One of Angela’s lab assistants got her attention late one morning. “Commander Morrison requested to see you,”

_ Oh, great.  _ Angela thought.  _ He probably wants to use my biotic technology for something questionable again… _

_ “ _ Commander.” Angela spoke promptly as she entered his office, her posture prim and proper. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes. Dr. Ziegler, I’d like to talk to you about something a bit more, uh, personal, today.” He sighed, and Angela raised a brow.

“I beg your pardon?” She questioned, obviously surprised and confused.

“Well, something a bit concerning has come to my attention as of late. And I wanted to talk to you about it.”

Angela knew what was coming next. She shot back before he even had a chance to begin. “I’d prefer if you kept your nose out of my personal relationship business, thank you. I don’t find your input necessary.”

“I don’t trust O’Deorain.” Jack quickly spat back.

Angela looked slightly appalled, getting worked up now for sure. “Excuse me? You know nothing about her.”

“I know enough about what she’s been researching to find it somewhat alarming and questionable.”

Angela found herself grinding her teeth together. “ _ With all due respect,  _ Commander, I believe I know more about her field than you do.”

“I have enough expertise to know that her last couple of reports I’ve seen are concerning.”

“I respectfully disagree.”

“Angela.” The use of her first name caught her off guard. “I’m saying this out of concern for you as well. You’re an important member of our team and I’d hate to see anything happen to you.”

“Well,  _ Jack _ ,” She spat back, looking frustrated. “You have nothing to be concerned about.”

“I beg to differ. I’m not the only one who doesn’t want to see you get hurt.”

Angela huffed, turning her back on the commander. “Again, I don’t need your input. I’ll be leaving now, Commander.”

Jack sighed, giving in. “Fine. Have a good day, Angela.”

She stormed out of his office, crossing her arms against her chest. Anyone walking by her would know she was pissed about something, and she didn’t really care.

_ The absolute nerve of him! What an asshole… _

Despite her stubbornness, she headed back to her office and quickly got on her computer. She may as well reread Moira’s reports just to see what he was talking about. Her most recent report detailed some experimentation she’d done on her rabbits. Not unusual. However, the more she read, the more she began to question it a bit. Her hypothesis included that of the potential results she could achieve by attempting to manipulate the DNA of the rabbit on a cellular level. This was a little…radical, yes, but she trusted that Moira wouldn’t do anything dangerous with it. It seemed perfectly ethical at that level. She could sort of understand why Jack seemed concerned about this. But he didn’t know Moira as well as she did; her plans couldn’t possibly be anything untrustworthy. Angela trusted Moira with every fiber of her being. She shrugged it off and decided she would personally back Moira up on this if anything came out of it. Her meeting with Jack would go better off unmentioned to her as well, unless it was absolutely necessary.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair, still frustrated by the encounter. Was she not allowed to be happy or something? And why couldn’t he trust Moira like she did? There wasn’t anything wrong with her.

Unfortunately, it was only the next day that Angela found out that Moira, too, had been called to Commander Morrison’s office. She invited herself in when he was meeting with her. Surprisingly, he actually let her in. Moira looked rather baffled when Angela entered.

Angela spoke up as soon as she entered, without giving Jack a chance to speak. “I’ve submitted a report to you explaining how I assisted Dr. O’Deorain in her most recent experiments. You have nothing to be concerned about; it was all approved and backed up by myself.”

A lie. It was a false report, really, but Angela Ziegler was so well respected and trusted in the Overwatch community that there was no way anyone would question or doubt her. Her word meant everything.

“...If that’s the case,” Jack cleared his throat. “You’re dismissed, Dr. O’Deorain.”

“...Thank you, Commander.” Moira replied in her usual smooth, calm voice. Angela followed her when she turned around, both of them exiting his office as soon as they had the opportunity to.

“Why?” Moira immediately questioned, as soon as they were out of his office.

“Because I trust you, Moira, and I won’t let anyone try to make you look bad.” She replied quickly, looking straight ahead. “Your work is incredibly innovative and it could lead to good things.”

Moira couldn’t help but smirk a little. “Trusting me is a dangerous thing, angel. After all, you seem to be the only one that does.”

“I disagree. I don’t think there’s anything untrustworthy about you.” Angela avoided allowing her lips to curve into a smile, only letting the corners twitch.

Moira shrugged. “Suit yourself, I suppose.”

Angela frowned. “...Just be a little more careful next time. I don’t mind covering for you like that, but I don’t want to make a habit of it.”

Moira gave Angela her usual, somewhat seductive smirk. “I’ll do my best, angel.”

“Good. I like that answer.”

They walked in silence for another moment before Moira spoke up once again. “...Thank you, though, Angela. Really.”

The blonde doctor finally allowed herself to smile at least a little, Moira’s gesture giving her a sense of accomplishment. “Don’t thank me. I’ll always do what I can for you, okay?”

She looked over at Moira to make eye contact with her, her lips curling into her usual angelic smile. “And I really do mean always.” She momentarily tapped the tip of her index finger to the taller woman’s nose. “Don’t forget that.”


	9. understand that i need to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not sorry for the angst yall are about to cope with

Several months had passed by now. Things were going smoothly as usual, including Angela and Moira’s continually developing relationship.

Despite things going smoothly at the base, the same could not be said for the rest of the world. There had been an attempt at peace between humans and omnics in London, but it did not last for very long at all. Null Sector, the omnic terrorist group, began an uprising against the humans of London, decimating many civilians and anything in their path. Many feared it would cause another war between omnics and humans. Overwatch was forbidden from intervening, but that obviously wouldn’t last.

Angela was the first to know about the strike team mission Commander Morrison was planning. He felt it’d be best for her to know first, considering she would be serving as their medic, a very important responsibility. Naturally, she was prepared for such a task. It was just in her personality. She knew Moira wasn’t going to be happy with this decision, but nevertheless, it felt like something she had to do. Besides, Jack also said he was planning on sending Lena along. This would be her first mission, and Angela wanted to be there for her.

She decided to tell Moira about the mission that evening, since she was spending the night with her anyway. The thought of telling her made her anxious, but it was inevitable.

Angela waited until around midnight, when they were in bed to sleep. Her hesitation made the silence that hung in the air even more difficult than actually telling her, so she finally spoke up.

“...Moira? Are you still awake?” She quietly broke the tense silence.

“Mmm-hmm.” Moira mumbled in response. “Something wrong?”

Angela shook her head. “No, I just...need to tell you something.” She bit her lip before continuing. “So, about all the stuff that’s happening in King’s Row...Jack wants to send a strike team out to try to get Null Sector under control. He asked me to be their medic...and I agreed to it.” She was immediately nervous to hear Moira’s response.

Moira replied as soon as Angela stopped talking. “Angela. You don’t need to do that. It’s dangerous.”

“I know. But it’s my job to help. Besides, he wants Lena to go, and this is her first mission, so she needs my support--”

“You’re far too talented and intelligent to put your life at risk like that. The world needs your skills more than the civilians of London. And Lena will be fine, I’m sure Jack wants to send others as well.” Moira almost spat this back, clearly agitated.

Angela frowned. “You’re right, I  _ am _ talented, especially with healing.  _ I  _ designed my Valkyrie suit and  _ I  _ want to be the one who wears it into battle to help people. And I don’t really want anyone but myself using my Caduceus staff either. It’s my work and my work alone; I wouldn’t even let Jack send anyone but me.”

“You could get yourself  _ killed _ , Angela. Nobody would want that. ...Especially me.” Moira turned on her side to stroke Angela’s hair, who was facing the other way. There was no way she could make eye contact with Moira right now. She tensed up a bit at the physical contact, already on edge.

“The world needs me there, Moira. You’re not changing my mind.”

Before she knew it, Angela had suddenly been pulled over onto her back by her arm, Moira slightly on top of her. She blinked in response, unable to think of how to react.

“Aingeal. Please. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Angela simply stared up at her for a moment before furrowing her brow, looking away. “No. I’m going. I told you, you’re  _ not _ changing my mind.”

Moira leaned in to give Angela an assertive kiss—which Angela assumed was to seduce her into changing her mind—but she tried to push her away to break the kiss, somewhat successful.

“G-Goddammit, Moira, that’s not changing my mind either!” She shoved Moira off of her at this point, extremely frustrated. “You know what?  _ I  _ told Jack in the first place that we needed to do something about King’s Row. It wasn’t his idea! I absolutely cannot  _ stand  _ the thought of so many people suffering when we have the resources to help them!”

The older woman withdrew, deciding not to argue with her girlfriend. “...Fine. Let your naivety control you.”

Without a second thought, Angela threw herself out of bed and flared at Moira, her voice rising. “If you’re going to be such a bitch, then I’m going  _ home.  _ I don’t want to be near you right now.”

“...Goodnight then, Angela.”

Angela faced away from her, picking up her things to leave. “...I leave tomorrow. Myself, Lena, Torbjorn, and Reinhardt.” Before Moira could even reply, Angela headed for the door.

She walked home despite it being completely dark out, since her own place wasn’t too far away. As soon as she got in her door, she threw down her bag and kicked off her shoes, leaning her back against her door. She stared blankly in front of herself before slowly sliding down to sit on the floor while still leaning against the door, drawing her knees to her chest. Of course she understood Moira’s concerns. But Moira didn’t understand  _ her  _ concerns. They did disagree on many things, and this happened to be one of the more tense things they couldn’t come to a compromise on.

Angela loved and trusted Moira more than anything else in the world, but she knew this was something she had to do. She held her tears in and headed off to bed, knowing she’d need a good night’s sleep for her strike mission tomorrow.

London needed her more than Moira did right now.


End file.
